Cooling system



Aug. 28, 1962 Filed April 29, 1960 T. Z. WHITE ETAL COOLING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 70:00amz. mwr:

- kaawr 1n. 77mm:

INVENTORS 4.22am 7A1. Gui-7Q Aug. 28, 1962 Filed April 29, 1960 T. Z. WHITE ETAL COOLING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R08RT M. THORPE INVENTORS United rates Patent Ofifice 3,051,450 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,051,450 COOLING SYSTEM Theodore Zane White, Dearhorn, and Robert M. Thorpe, Taylor, Mich, assignors to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 25,684 Claims. (Cl. 257-125) This invention pertains to means for separating fluids having different specific gravities and more particularly to means for separating gases from liquids in an automotive cooling system.

The trend towards lower hood lines in automotive design dictates a reduction in height of the present radiator. One method of accomplishing this objective is to eliminate the top tank on the radiator and install crossflow radiators with side tanks, as is now being done in some motor vehicles. A separate surge tank located at some point in the cooling system is required if the top tank on the radiator is eliminated to provide space for expansion and contraction of the coolant with changes of temperature. Also, the surge tank acts as a reservoir for the cool ant, as a means for filling the cooling system and for separating entrapped air in the coolant.

The improvement in the efficiency of a cooling system which utilizes a crossflow radiator with side tanks is accomplished by incorporating in the radiator a high velocity chamber in the flow path of the coolant and a low velocity chamber which is placed in communication with a high velocity chamber. A portion of the coolant passing through the high velocity chamber is diverted through an opening into the low velocity chamber and then returned through a second opening located downstream from the first opening. Entrapped air in the coolant is separated and accumulated in the low velocity chamber to be finally exhausted.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a means for separating air from the coolant in a cooling system for liquid coo-led internal combustion engines. A further object is the elimination of the separate surge tank for crossflow radiators.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent when viewed in connection with the figures of the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic elevational view of an air separator incorporated in a crossflow radiator on the discharge side of the radiator, and

FIGURE 2 is a schematic elevational view of another embodiment of this invention in which the air separator is not part of the radiator assembly, and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic elevational view of a third embodiment of this invention in which the air separator is incorporated in a crossflow radiator on the intake side of the radiator, and

FIGURE 4 is a section taken at 4-4 of FIGURE 3 showing the location of a tube to divert coolant in the intake conduit.

In FIGURE 1 is seen a crossflow radiator with intake header tank 12. Coolant from the engine flows into intake radiator opening 13 near the top of the intake header tank 12. The coolant flows through radiator tubes 14 to discharge header tank 15. Partition 16 extends from the top to the bottom of the discharge header tank 15, dividing the discharge header tank into a discharge flow compartment 17 adjacent to said radiator tubes 14 and an air accumulation compartment 18 located on the other side of partition 16. Communication between these compartments is by way of two slots. An upper slot 19 is placed in partition 16 in the lower portion of the discharge header tank 15 remote from the bottom. A lower slot 20 is placed in the partition 16 in a location as close to the bottom of the discharge header tank 15 as possible.

The upper slot 19 may be formed by slitting the metal partition 16 and bending two lips into opposite directions to provide for a smooth flow of coolant between the compartments. The lower lip 21 is bent into the flow channel of the discharge flow compartment 17 and the upper lip 22 is bent into air accumulation compartment 18.

The coolant fiows through exhaust radiator opening 23 to a water pump (not shown) mounted on the internal combustion engine which circulates the coolant through the engine to radiator 11. A drain cock 24 is provided at the low point of the discharge header tank 15 for draining the cooling system when desired.

Coolant contaminated with air flows through the horizontal radiator tubes 14 into the discharge flow compartment 17 of the discharge header tank 15 at a relatively high velocity. A portion of the coolant is diverted from the discharge flow compartment 17 by the lower lip 21 of the upper slot 19 into an air accumulation compartment 18. The diverted coolant will flow through the air accumulation compartment 18 at a relatively low velocity before returning to the discharge flow compartment 17 through lower slot 20. The coolant level 25 in the air accumulation compartment 18 will be above the upper slot 19 when the cooling system is full. Because of the low velocity of the diverted coolant, entrapped air 26 in the coolant will separate and rise above coolant level 25 and be accumulated in air portion 27 of the air accumulation compartment 18.

To fill the cooling system, pressure cap 28 is provided to fit filler neck 29 on top of the discharge flow compartment 17 of the discharge header tank 15. In order to fill the cooling system to its optimum level it is necessary to open bleeder cap 30 on bleeder opening 31 located at the top of the discharge header tank 15, which also is the high point of the cooling system with the exception of filler neck 29. By bleeding the air through bleeder opening 31, air lock is prevented and the cooling system can be filled to its optimum level of operation.

In certain cases it might not be practical, due to design limitations, to incorporate a fluid separator in the radiator of a motor vehicle. Another embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIGURE 2, overcomes this limitation.

In FIGURE 2 a fluid separator comprising an air separating chamber 32 is placed adjacent to conduit 33 of an automotive cooling system. An air separating chamber 32 has an air portion 34 and a coolant portion 35. Tube 36 establishes communication between cooling portion 35 and conduit 33. Tube 36 enters the side of air separating chamber 32 in the lower part of the coolant portion 35. The other opening 37 of tube 36 entering conduit 33 is bent approximately degrees so that the opening 37 faces against the direction of the flow of the coolant.

The diameter of tube 36 is relatively small in comparison to the diameter of conduit 33 so that only a portion of the coolant will be diverted into air separating chamber 32. A second tube 38 is placed at the bottom of air separating chamber 32 and is connected to conduit 33 downstream from the opening 37 of the first tube 36. Opening 39 of second tub-e 38 is bent to face in the direction of the flow of the coolant in conduit 33. The first and second tubes 36 and 38 may be of the same diameter.

To fill the cooling system, air separating chamber 32 is provided with pressure cap 40 to fit filling neck 41. Also, in order to fill the cooling system to its optimum coolant level, a cap 42 is provided on the side tank of crossflow radiator '43 which is opened during filling of the cooling system to prevent air lock. Drain cock 44 is mounted on the low point of radiator 43 to drain the cooling system as required.

As the coolant is circulated through the cooling system a portion of the coolant is diverted by tube 36 to air separating chamber 32 and entrapped air 45 in the coolant will separate and accumulate in air portion 34 of the air separating chamber 32. The diverted coolant will be returned to conduit 33 by tube 38. The accumulated air is exhausted from the air portion 34 when pressure cap 40. is removed to fill the cooling system.

In. FIGURE 3 is seen another embodiment of this invention in. which entrapped air is removed from the coolant in an automotive cooling system by a fluid separator installed in.the intake header tank 46 of crossfiow radiator 47. Coolant flows through conduit 48 from the engine into intake radiator opening 49 located near the top of intake header tank 46. The intake header tank 46 is divided by a vertical partition 56 into an intake flow compartment 51 and an air accumulation compartment 52. The partition 50 extends from the top to the bottom of the intake header tank 46. The partition 50 may be installed at a slight angle with a vertical plane, as shown in FIGURE 3, in order to distribute the coolant more evenly tothe crossfiow radiator tubes 53.

A tube 54 is placed in conduit 48 near the intake radiator opening 49 with the opening 55 of tube 54 facing against the direction of the coolant flow, as best seen in FIGURE 4. The other end of tube 54 is mounted in partition 50 so that opening 56 of tube 54 extends into the lower portion of air accumulation compartment 52.

Alower slot 57 isplaced in partition 50 between compartments 51 and 52. The lower slot 57 is located as near to the bottom of the intake header tank 46 as possible.

The intake header tank 4-6 is connected by horizontal radiator tubes 53 to discharge header tank 58. Near the bottom of discharge header tank 58 is exhaust radiator opening 59 through which the coolant is returned tothe engine. Drain cock 60 is mounted at the low point of the discharge header tank 58 to permit draining of the cooling system as required.

As the coolant with entrapped air enters the radiator opening 49 a portion of this coolant with the entrapped air is diverted by tube 54 to air accumulation compartment 52. The entrapped air 61 is separated from the coolant and is accumulated in the upper portion of the air accumulation compartment 52. The coolant is then returned to the intake flow compartment 51 through lower slot .57.

To fill the cooling system pressure cap 62, located on top of air accumulation compartment 52 is removed. Entrapped air 61 accumulated in the accumulation compartment 52 is exhausted when pressure cap 62 is opened. Bleeder cap 63 is required to exhaust entrapped air from the cooling system during the filling of the radiator to prevent air look.

We claim:

1. An improved cooling system including a radiator, said radiator comprising horizontal cooling tubes, a first verticalheader tank on one side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a second vertical header tank on the other side of said horizontal cooling tubes, 21 substantially vertical partition in one of said vertical header tanks dividing said tank into a first compartment remote from said horizontal cooling tubes and a second compartment adjacent to said horizontal cooling tubes, a first opening in said partition between said compartments at a point removed from the bottom of said header tank and a second opening in said partition at a location vertically displaced from said first opening, an inlet in one of said vertical header tanks and an outlet in the other of said vertical header tanks.

2. An improved cooling system including a radiator,

said radiator comprising horizontal cooling tubes, a first vertical header tank on one side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a second vertical header tank on the other side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a substantially vertical partition in said second vertical header tank dividing said tank into a first compartment remote from said horizontal cooling tubes and a second compartment adjacent to said horizontal cooling tubes, 21 first opening in said partition between said compartments at a point removed from the bottom of said second vertical header tank and a second opening in said partition adjacent the bottom of said second vertical header tank, an inlet in said first vertical header tank and an outlet in said second compartment of said second vertical header tank.

3. An improved cooling system including a radiator for an internal combustion engine having a flow path for liquid and gas immiscible therewith, said liquid having a higher density than said gas, said radiator comprising horizontal cooling tubes, a first vertical header tank on one side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a second vertical header tank on the other side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a substantially vertical partition in said second vertical header tank dividing said header tank into a first compartment remote from said horizontal cooling tubes and a second compartment adjacent to said horizontal cooling tubes, a first opening in said partition between the first and second compartments removed from the bottom of said second vertical header tank, a second opening in said partition at the bottom of said vertical header tank, an exhaust opening on top of said second compartment of said second vertical header tank to exhaust accumulated gas separated from said liquid, an inlet in said first vertical header tank and an outlet in said second compartment of said second vertical header tank.

4. An improved cooling system including a radiator for a liquid cooled internal combustion engine having a flow path for liquid and gas immiscible therewith, said liquid having a higher density than said gas, said radiator comprising horizontal cooling tubes, a first vertical header tank on one side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a second vertical header tank on the other side of said horizontal cooling tubes, a substantially vertical partition in said second vertical header tank dividing said tank into a. first compartment remote from said horizontal cooling tubes and a second compartment adjacent to said hori-v zontal cooling tubes, a first opening in said partition between said compartments at a point removed from the bottom of said second vertical header tank, and a second opening in said partition adjacent the bottom of said second vertical header tank, a filler spout on the top of said first compartment of said vertical header tank to exhaust accumulated gas separated from said liquid and to fill said cooling system with a liquid, an exhaust opening on top of said second compartment of said second vertical header tank to bleed said radiator during the filling of said cooling system with liquid, an inlet near the top of said first vertical header tank and an outlet near the bottom of said second vertical header tank.

5. The structureas defined in claim 4 and which is further characterized in that the first opening in said partition is formed by bending a lower lip into said second compartment and bending the upper lip into said first compartment of the second vertical header tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,713,973 Hencken et al. July 26, 19 55 

